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RAF Valley Equestrian team triumphs at RAF Inter Station League

The RAF Valley Equestrian Club is celebrating a year of triumphs at the RAF Inter Station League – a competition with the sole aim of promoting horse riding to the RAF family.

The competition tested the Valley team in both dressage and show jumping events, all with the challenge of riding different horses throughout. The Valley team won the overall team trophy, as well as trophies for the individual best dressage test and the Inter Station League individual champion.

RAF Shawbury hosted the first 2013 event at the Prescott Equestrian Centre at Baschurch. The RAF Valley team was made up of Gp Capt Sara Mackmin, Cpl Racheal Broughton, SAC Jen Bracewell, and Babcock’s Miss Aneesa Parry. All the riders put in excellent performances in the dressage tests with a particular highlight being SAC Jen Bracewell performing supremely well with a difficult horse. In the show jumping, the team had a clear round and therefore on the first event of the season – Valley had won. RAF Valley riders also won individually with SAC Bracewell coming first, Cpl Broughton second and Gp Capt Mackmin overall third.

The second leg of the ISL saw RAF Valley hosting at the Anglesey Riding Centre. All members of the Valley team rode first class dressage tests although the competition was fierce. The jumping was good overall and once again Valley had won the event. SAC Bracewell was placed individually first, Gp Capt Mackmin second and Miss Aneesa Parry third. The third and final Inter Station League finals beckoned, and Aneesa Parry takes up the story:

“We won both our competitions throughout the summer, which meant we went through to the ISL final. We knew this was going to be a tough ride and there would be no room for mistakes! While the points were being tallied at the end of the ISL final, it was mutually decided by all team captains, that the 24 penalty points against civilian riders would not be considered, as the rules will be changing next year allowing contractors to ride under the same rules as MOD civilians in following competitions. The result? A team victory for RAF Valley, sweetened somewhat by myself winning Individual Best Dressage Test, and Inter Station League Individual Champion. Cpl Rachael Broughton took overall second, and SAC Jen Bracewell took overall third – a clean sweep for RAF Valley!”